Fox’s ‘Sleepy Hollow’ Finishes on Uptick; CBS’ ‘Intelligence’ Lower

'Hollywood Game Night' back with series high; 'Blacklist' wins in demos, but 'Castle' closes gap

CBS comedies “How I Met Your Mother” and “2 Broke Girls” were the top draws among young adults on Monday, a night that saw a rising “Sleepy Hollow” finish its season with solid numbers. It remains slow going, meanwhile, for the Eye’s “Intelligence,” which dipped from last week and again placed well behind dramas on NBC and ABC.

According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, “Sleepy Hollow” averaged a 2.3 rating/6 share in adults 18-49 and 6.9 million viewers overall from 8 to 10 p.m. — up a tick from last week for its best score since Nov. 18. In its regular 9 p.m. hour, “Sleepy” averaged a 2.4 demo rating. The first-year drama, which will return later this year, fared best among the top 10 markets in Washington, D.C. (3.6/9 in 18-49) and New York (3.1/8).

Beginning next week, “The Following” takes over the 9 p.m. hour for Fox.

Elsewhere, ABC’s “The Bachelor” (2.3/6 in 18-49, 7.8 million viewers overall) held steady in its first episode since current bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis made headlines for some controversial statements about gays; it tied with “Sleepy Hollow” and finished a bit behind the CBS comedy block in 18-49. Closing the night, “Castle” (2.0/6 in 18-49, 8.9 million viewers overall) was up a bit from last week to close the demo gap with “Blacklist” while edging ahead of the NBC rookie in total viewers.

CBS opened strong with “How I Met Your Mother” (3.0/8 in 18-49, 8.8 million viewers overall), which was the night’s No. 1 broadcast in 18-49, 25-54 (3.6/9) and 12-34 (2.2/7), and “2 Broke Girls” (2.7/7 in 18-49, 8.9 million viewers overall), which was No. 2 in most demos and edged out ABC’s “Castle” as the most-watched program overall.

The net saw diminishing returns the rest of the way, dropping at 9 p.m. with “Mike & Molly” (2.1/5 in 18-49, 8.8 million viewers overall) and then further with “Mom” (1.9/5 in 18-49, 8.1 million viewers overall) and “Intelligence” (1.1/3 in 18-49, 5.6 million viewers overall). The Josh Holloway-Marg Helgenberger drama was down a tick from its modest Monday premiere of last week and about on par with previous timeslot occupant “Hostages.”

NBC hung in there with back-to-back originals of Jane Lynch-hosted “Hollywood Game Night,” which did a 1.3/4 in 18-49 and 4.7 million viewers overall at 8 p.m. and a series-high 1.5/4 in 18-49 and 4.2 million viewers overall at 9. “The Blacklist” followed with lower-than-usual numbers (2.3/6 in 18-49, 8.7 million viewers overall), but NBC has to be pleased that the rookie drama continues to win its hour in demos even without a lead-in from “The Voice.”

CW’s “Hart of Dixie” (0.4/1 in 18-49, 1.2 million viewers overall) was on par with the previous week, and “Beauty and the Beast” (0.4/1 in 18-49, 0.9 million viewers overall) was up a bit.